Hofstra opens new 75,000-square-foot center for health care, engineering training
Hofstra’s Science and Innovation Center will be shared by the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies and the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science at Hofstra University in Hempstead. It is shown on Thursday. Credit: Howard Schnapp
A new 75,000-square-foot center at Hofstra University, focused on health care and cutting-edge research, will breed the next generation of nurses and engineers, two fields in high demand across Long Island and New York State, officials said Thursday as they cut the ribbon on the largest academic facility ever built on the Hempstead campus.
The $76.8 million Science and Innovation Center is shared by the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies and the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science. It includes a fully equipped operating room, intensive care suites, nursing simulation rooms, ambulatory patient rooms and science and bioengineering laboratories.
"It's filled with the most state-of-the-art, high-tech technology for students," said Hofstra President Susan Poser. "And, it's going to result in us recruiting more students in nursing and engineering, building both of those programs and therefore creating professionals who can serve the workforce development needs of New York State, and really the country. And this is particularly acute in the field of nursing, where we're probably going to be short something like a million nurses within about five years."
In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the center is "not just creating a state-of-the-art facility. We're nurturing the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers."
The center, located on the south campus across from James M. Shuart Stadium, opened last month and is the largest structural addition to Hofstra in two decades.
The building will serve more than 1,000 students, Poser said, including about 635 in the rapidly growing School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, where students had been spread out in several buildings across the campus.
In addition to classrooms, offices, student study areas and two rooftop gardens, the center features a full emergency room, anesthesia and surgical labs and ambulatory patient rooms where nursing students can conduct examinations on high fidelity mannequins that talk, appear to get sick and can even simulate giving birth in the labor and delivery room.
"This building will be a crucible in which we forge our abilities to provide holistic care, foster healing and promote wellness," said Natalie Chua, a junior undergraduate nursing student and the founding president of Hofstra's Student Nurses Association. "We have access to cutting edge technology and resources that will empower us to stay at the forefront of health care innovation."
Since the nursing program's inception, it has expanded to offer four-year master's degrees, four doctoral nursing degrees, four advanced certificate programs and an undergraduate nursing degree. Students enrolled in the nursing programs are guaranteed placement in the Northwell Health System upon graduation, officials said.
For computer science students, the new center features a robotics room with a massive 3D printer, labs centered on virtual reality and gaming, a data center, tissue culture facility, makerspace for creating prototypes and an industrial engineering manufacturing lab.
"Hofstra University is helping pave the way for me and every student who has an innovative mindset to make our dreams a reality," said Ashley Garcia Cervantes, a Hofstra computer engineering student.
The project was built through a combination of public and private funding.
Empire State Development provided a $25 million capital grant to Hofstra in 2016 as part of the Transformative Investment Program while an additional $2 million came from the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council through a grant for nursing equipment.
Another $1 million from the National Science Foundation went to the DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science to strengthen its computer infrastructure, while the remaining balance was funded by Hofstra through a combination of tax-exempt and taxable bonds, the university said.
"On the surface, this looks like a capital project," said Hope Knight, president and chief executive of Empire State Development, the state's economic development agency. "And it's beyond impressive. But it's also an investment in New York State's workforce … The new Science and Innovation Center will provide students with a dynamic education and shape the leaders of tomorrow."
With John Valenti
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
